“Hyung’s here.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
I finally got Kang Ichae, who had been annoyingly following me around and spouting nonsense like “I’m actually a cat person” and “HouHou,” to shut his mouth with a glare.
Having downed a can myself, I returned to my spot just in time to hear Jeong Dajun peacefully lamenting about the cost of Korean beef.
“I want Korean beef, but it’s so expensive…”
“Dajun, that’s because you order servings for five.”
Looks like nothing happened?
Though I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t help feeling a bit worried as occasional glances pierced my way, but fortunately, it seemed nothing major had happened.
Then Kim Seonghyeon, who had been sitting alone with a sour face, looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Seo Hoyun.”
“Huh?”
“Stay away from the maknae… No more.”
What in the world did that mean?
“Ahaha, right. Hoyun. Maybe keep a little distance.”
Even Seong Jiwon, who was next to us, agreed with Kim Seonghyeon’s words while laughing.
But really, what was going on?
However, not particularly curious, I didn’t resist as Kim Seonghyeon led me by the hand away from where Jeong Dajun was sitting to the farthest seat.
As time passed with us looking around, the set suddenly became bustling.
“Hello!”
High Five had arrived.
The set buzzed with the cheerful laughter of the participants, hiding their competitive spirits and oddly warm attitudes.
“We are High Five.”
The moment Kang Yeonhu stepped into the set with a straight posture, our eyes met, and he slightly lifted the corners of his eyes in greeting.
Naturally, I too, feigned a pleasant smile in return.
Soon after, members of other groups gathered around Kang Yeonhu.
“Yeonhu-hyung, have you been well?”
“Ahaha, sunbae. What’s with you.”
Noticing the atmosphere, even Kang Ichae looked at him indifferently.
[Welcome to Shining Star.]
Then, a mechanical voice sounded.
At the same time, letters appeared on the giant screen set up on the set.
[Will you become the brightest star?
The predicted ranking of the final winners is revealed.]
Unlike the first season where everyone wrote down their predictions for the ranking of the groups, including their own, this time, the ranking was determined by voting for the group expected to rank first beforehand.
[4th place: Try
3rd place: Bercy
2nd place: TEW]
And naturally, the 1st place was…
[1st place: High Five]
“High Five!!”
While all groups were noisy about the rankings, Kim Seonghyeon’s expression hardened.
“…5th?”
“…We got zero votes?”
The members, who had been at ease until moments ago, now had stiff smiles and let out hollow laughter.
Having gained confidence in their skills and performances, the members’ pride was wounded by the dismissive result of the vote.
I tapped my chin.
Guys.
To me, who thought a variety show without narrative was like a red bean bun without the filling, this situation was simply amusing.
It’ll look nice when edited.
“Hyung, Ichae is sad…”
“Get lost.”
I pushed aside those who didn’t care about others’ opinions.
I brushed off Kang Ichae’s head with my finger as he pretended to whine and tried to lean on my shoulder.
At that moment, the spotlight turned toward the entrance.
The door burst open, and a man in a suit and two women in evening dresses entered.
“Hello.”
It was the arrival of the MC and mentors.
“I’m Joo Woosung.”
For now, let’s put aside the fact that Joo Woosung, who looked as if he was born to wear suits, was a mentor.
“I will be your MC, Ha Seoyeon.”
The actor Ha Seoyeon, known for her role in a popular youth drama and whom I had seen before near the smoking area, appeared as the MC, and next to her, Han Chaeri from White Cherry was beaming as a mentor.
“I’m Han Chaeri!”
So, basically…
He was standing between his exes.
Crazy…
Knowing the full context, I couldn’t hide my shock, but fortunately, I thought others would attribute it to the MC and mentors’ arrival.
Joo Woosung casually scanned the set and winked in our direction.
I had to try my best not to contort my face.
“Once again, welcome to Shining Star. I also followed Shining Star Season 1 closely. It’s quite the feeling to see Season 2 unfold.”
Ha Seoyeon, with her actor’s composed demeanor, continued the proceedings calmly.
“Shining Star Season 2, aside from the introductory meeting, consists of four rounds of competition. The team with the highest total score will become the brightest star. Now, Woosung, could you please tell us about the special privilege awarded to the winning team?”
“Yes, Seoyeon.”
Joo Woosung continued, his smile shamelessly smooth and sly.
“The final winning team will be granted the privilege of their own reality show and a gala concert at the specified venue.”
Behind Joo Woosung, various famous idol concert videos were displayed on the screen.
The vibrant lights and booming sound, along with the piercing screams of fans, elicited gasps from everyone.
“Wow, to perform there…”
It was a considerably large indoor stadium, renowned among idols as the dream concert venue.
“Wow!”
Jeong Dajun blinked in amazement, the blue light from the screen reflecting in his eyelashes.
I chuckled slightly.
Looking forward to it?
I was confident enough to grant such privileges to Jeong Dajun.
Having toured the world several times, such things were no big deal for Joo Woosung and Han Chaeri, who smiled warmly at the cast members gazing at the screen with sparkling eyes.
As the video ended, Han Chaeri picked up the microphone.
“I guess that’s enough for an introduction? Let’s get straight to the point without boring you!”
With those words, she snapped her fingers, and the lights dimmed instantly, spotlighting a small table placed at the top of the stairs.
There was a small box on it.
“What’s that?”
Waiting for the murmuring of the cast to quiet down, Ha Seoyeon slowly opened her mouth.
I’ll announce the theme for the first competition.
“…!”
“Your song, my song challenge. It’s a cover song competition.”
As she spoke, a list of song titles scrolled down the screen one after another.
Most were top idol songs, the kind that everyone would have heard at least once.
“Just write down the song you want to perform from this list and put it in that box. Then, you draw. Simple, right?”
While listening to Ha Seoyeon explain, I scanned the list from top to bottom.
A song in the corner caught my eye.
“Hmm.”
I pulled up the corners of my mouth in satisfaction.
“So, what should we be careful about here?”
When Han Chaeri lightly asked, Bercy’s main vocal raised his hand.
He took the microphone and carefully said,
“…Does this mean someone else could pick the paper I wrote?”
“…!!”
“Yes! Exactly that!”
“If someone else gets the song you wrote down, it’d be infuriating, right? Depending on how you plan, it could be an advantage or a disadvantage, so please choose your song carefully.”
As Joo Woosung took the microphone, Han Chaeri’s smile visibly trembled.
It would have been more entertaining if Woosung had stirred up some trouble, but looking at his sleek face only made me even less interested in his love life.
Other groups quickly huddled together to start brainstorming.
“What should we do?”
“Should we go for something strong…? But what if it’s taken?”
Holding a piece of paper provided by the staff, I re-examined the song titles displayed on the screen.
If my turn came and it was still available, I wouldn’t have to worry about my song being taken.
After all, I had learned a skill from someone.
And if it were taken, it seemed it would make for an interesting situation.
However, I weighed in my mind the benefits we could gain, the impact it could have on other groups, and whether there were things to gain even if things didn’t go as planned.
Having sorted that out, I looked at the members.
“Guys, there’s something hyung want to do.”
“You can do it without calling yourself ‘hyung’.”
“There’s something Hoyun wants to do.”
“…”
I quickly wrote something down on the paper.
The expressions of the members watching me gradually became odd.
“This one.”
“…?”
As I picked up the completed paper, Kim Seonghyeon leaned in and whispered quietly,
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“If it goes to another group…”
“Whatever it is, it’ll still be fun.”
Kim Seonghyeon stared at me for a moment.
I could explain if he wanted, but even if I did, it wouldn’t be easy to get his agreement.
Even if he did oppose it, considering how soft-hearted he was to the members, I was sure I could sway him.
But without much ado, he simply nodded slightly and tapped my shoulder.
“Okay, got it.”
What was reflected in his eyes was trust.
Kim Seonghyeon. You were told not to trust people easily.
Chuckling, after getting the unanimous consent of all the members, I neatly folded the note and placed it in the box.
As the song selection for all groups ended, Ha Seoyeon, standing beside the box with the mic in hand, smiled brightly.
“Please, High Five, come forward.”
“Yes!”
As Kang Yeonhu, the leader of High Five, strode forward, Ha Seoyeon playfully tapped the box.
“How about we draw again?”
Unless someone was incredibly unlucky, it was somewhat predictable what song would come up.
Likely fearing their turn, everyone probably mixed in famous songs by top male idol groups as a safe bet.
But…
“Next up, The Dawn. Please come forward.”
It wouldn’t be fun if everything was too similar, right?
Ding!
[Are you really going to pick that one?]
I shrugged nonchalantly as if it was obvious and stood up with a calm expression.
All the while, the system window blared noisily as I walked.
[Are you sure that’s a good choice?]
[You do know the quest is to finish first, right?!]
[Are you confident in what you’ll pick? It’s random.]
There was nothing in this world that couldn’t be done.
Stopping in front of the box, I turned my head to look at Kang Ichae.
Ichae.
When our eyes met, Kang Ichae narrowed his eyes as if to say, “What are you plotting?”
Thanks. I’ll make good use of your skill, okay?
“Oh, this is troubling.”
“Ahaha, would worrying change anything?”
Feigning concern, I scratched my head, eliciting laughter from behind me, as if to say that worrying was pointless.
“Still, we have to be careful. It all depends on the luck of the draw, doesn’t it?”
I was reminded of that time.
The conversation I had with Kang Ichae after filming our own content in the provinces.
“Did you, before putting it in the box… slightly fold it?”
When Kang Ichae had chosen a fancy restaurant in a draw that involved dinner.[1]
“You’ve got keen eyes, huh?”
At that time, Kang Ichae had laughed as if amused by my question.
“Well, if it’s folded, you can tell by the feel.”
Right.
This is it.
I could feel the slight fold of the paper under my fingertips.
I pulled up the corners of my mouth and drew the note out of the box.
“The Dawn have selected.”
All eyes gathered my way.
“Ah, it’s the one I wrote.”
And this was the stage I had personally prepared.
How could this not work out in my favor?
As I held up the card and smiled, Joo Woosung’s expression hardened.
“Lea Purple’s…”
“…?!”
Just the mention of the singer’s name caused a stir in the venue.
As I fluttered the paper toward our leader, Kim Seonghyeon, he touched his eyebrow, sporting an ambiguous smile.
You little…
“‘Easy Tempo’ it is.”
I’ll show you something fun, hyung.
[1] See Episode 117 for Ichae’s cunning.
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